JEDDAH: The Innovative Plastics strategic business unit of SABIC Friday announced the establishment of a new business unit to meet growing customer demand for advanced engineering thermoplastic materials and application development expertise in the Middle East and Africa. The new organization, which is based in Riyadh, demonstrates SABIC's strong commitment to this increasingly important region - providing customers access to a robust portfolio of more than 40,000 high-performance resins. The new business unit will be led by Richard Crosby, a veteran Innovative Plastics executive and scientist. “Our innovation in materials and service has been a key differentiator in helping customers be successful in growing and dynamic markets - from understanding their unique requirements to continuously innovating high-performance materials, technologies and services that help give them competitive differentiation,” said Charlie Crew, president and chief executive officer, Innovative Plastics in a statement. “Under Richard's leadership, we are committed to providing the same level of support in the Middle East and Africa to help OEMs and processors in the region create world-class products. This new business unit will enable customers to easily leverage our expansive portfolio of solutions to meet the changing requirements of local and global markets.” Today's announcement is the second recent example of SABIC's focus to bring advanced materials solutions to this important region. The company recently announced a new Application Development Technology Center in Riyadh, which is slated to open in late 2012. The center will offer customers advanced design, material development, conversion processing and part testing. “Innovative Plastics' proven success in serving global industries such as appliances, automotive, building and construction, alternative energy and electrical components will enable us to establish and grow new customer relationships as well as create greater market demand in this growing region,” noted Crosby. “For example, the solar energy industry, a major focus area for the Middle East, uses several of our engineering thermoplastics in current photovoltaic applications and will need new innovative materials for future designs. We see an opportunity to add value to the design, development and production of new applications across multiple markets helping our customers achieve their business goals.” Crosby brings 22 years of extensive experience in business development, marketing and technology to his role. Most recently he served as the general manager of marketing and technology for the Innovative Plastics' business unit in the Pacific. He holds a doctorate in chemistry from Texas A&M University.
